Brave on the Page Launch Reading
A few weeks ago, I first posted about Brave on the Page: Oregon Writers on Craft and the Creative Life, a collection of interviews and and essays from 42 Oregon authors, edited by Laura Stanfill. Laura had asked me to be part of the project, and I gladly obliged.
The book’s been available since early October, but the official launch reading is happening this weekend. It will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Fulton Park Community Center in Southwest Portland. (68 Southwest Miles Street). I won’t be reading at this event, but a whole bunch of other writers will be, including Liz Prato, Michael Gettel-Gilmartin, Duncan Ellis, Laura Stanfill, Kristen Forbes, Joanna Rose, Stevan Allred, Steve Denniston, Bart King, Nancy Townsley, and Gigi Little.
The event is free, will last about an hour, and will include some light refreshments as well. So if you’re into writing, reading, and Oregonians who do a little of both, this will be the place to be this Saturday. Find out more at Laura’s Forest Avenue Press.
Brave on the page
Earlier this summer, Oregon writer Laura Stanfill commented on a picture I’d posted of On Mount Hood on sale at Powell’s. Then another author I met this year, Kim Cooper-Findling, passed my contact info on to Laura so we could connect.
I’m glad we did.
Laura graciously invited me to be a part of a pretty great book project she was putting together, Brave on the Page: Oregon Writers on Craft and the Creative Life. The book collects interviews and essays from 42 Oregon authors, including Cooper-Findling, Bart King, Matt Love, and many others. It’s also got one of my favorite mountains on the cover.
Laura published the book in a unique process through her own startup publishing house, Forest Avenue Press. The official release was yesterday, Oct. 8, and the book is available through the Espresso Book Machine at the downtown Powell’s and through ondemandbooks.com.
I don’t have my copy yet, but I’m looking forward to getting one. Anyone who’s interested in Oregon writers, craft and the creative life should be, too.
Thanks again, Laura.
Pure summer on Mount Hood at Lost Lake
Sure, it can be a little crowded — popular might be a better word — and a touch loud close in near the boat ramp, but there is something about Lost Lake on Mount Hood that absolutely spills out summertime.
Part of it is the nostalgic air of the rustic resort (which just sold for $1.2 million to some lucky someone who will hopefully maintain its endless charm), the rowboats, the campfire smells, the chill lake — just brisk enough to refresh, just clear and calm enough to lounge about in for a while.
A simple stroll encircles Lost Lake as well, and despite the crowds on hot summer days, it still seems that you’re always able to find a spot here or there to set up for the afternoon and soak it all in. We did as much a couple weeks ago on one of the warmer Oregon weekends, and relished not only the lake, but trail-side huckleberries and salmon berries, squirt guns, elusive crawfish and newts, and a laid-out tree that invited all kinds of exploration.
Essential to a great day on Lost Lake, however, is actually getting out on the water. People do it in any number of ways, from renting rowboats and canoes from the resort to bringing their own boats, tubes, rafts, and even a few air mattresses. There is simply nothing better than being out on the water on days when the temperature and the sun are relentless, the air still and warm. Get on the water, and all of a sudden all is chill and forgotten.
But what makes Lost Lake the quintessential Mount Hood lake for kayaking, swimming, soaking in the rays, and simply enjoying a real summer day near the mountain, is the unmistakable view you take in from the middle of the lake. There’s no mistaking it. Summertime at Mount Hood.
On Mount Hood — on sale at Powell’s!
OK, so “On Mount Hood” didn’t get one of the coveted facing-out slots on this nice display rack of Sasquatch Books titles at Powell’s, but it’s part of it. (Second row from top, second book in.) And I’m not complaining. A great display, a great sale and price, and my favorite bookstore ever. Couldn’t ask for much more.
On Mount Hood — in Eugene
Since the book published almost a year ago, I’ve taken On Mount Hood and my slideshow all over the Portland metro region. I’ve also been out to Hood River and Welches near the mountain, McMinnville, and even Seaside out on the coast.
In just a few weeks, it’ll be down in Eugene at the Eugene Public Library. The free event kicks off at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 21, at the downtown library. Looking very forward to it. Here’s their poster for the event. Hope to see you there.
Searching for Mount Hood
Silcox Hut Mount Hood.
Kayak lake Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood Meadows mid beer.
Someone standing up on a mountain.
One of the great things about blogging on WordPress (and probably most other blogging sites) is all the data you’re privy to about visitors to your blog. You get to see how many people visit your blog each day, what countries they live in, and what pages they’re checking out. You can also see all the searches they’ve done on the Internet that ended up pointing them to your site.
That list above is just a few of the searches that have lead people to onmounthood.com. Most of them, like the Silcox Hut one and the kayaking one, end up being pretty relevant. Some are a little bit more of a stretch. And some, like “crystal lemons, portland OR” and “accordion made in Germany in the 1940s” leave you scratching your head. (Though I have to admit, the accordion one probably came up as a result of this post on Shorty’s Corner.)
Whatever the case, though, it’s great to see all the different ways people are looking to learn about Mount Hood; there’s a lot to learn about this mountain, indeed.
Mount Hood from Timberline Lodge.
On MOUNT HOOD 